Richard Portlock

Partner
Contact details

023 8085 7158

He's a leading specialist in the region for professional negligence.

Chambers and Partners, 2024

Richard has over 30 years of experience in litigating and resolving a wide range of disputes. He has dealt with cases to the High Court and Court of Appeal, in international arbitration and through mediation.

Main areas of practice

  • Commercial disputes especially involving the supply of goods and services
  • Professional liability cases involving the negligence, breach of fiduciary duty or fraud of professional service providers
  • Pensions disputes
  • Public law and judicial review

Significant experience

Richard has litigated many commercial and professional liability cases to the High Court and in some instances to the Court of Appeal where his decided cases include Taplins Ltd v Guyers Ensors Byfield and Westbury v Sampson. Many of his cases are however successfully resolved by mediation or other form of alternative dispute resolution.

In the pensions sphere, Richard particularly advises the trustees of occupational schemes and sponsoring employers about interpretation and sometimes rectification of scheme documents and relationships with their professional advisers.

His public law work includes judicial review matters, particularly in the health care sector relating to the statutory scheme of the national health service.

Richard is an intervention agent for Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Clients

  • NHS England
  • Solicitors Regulation Authority

Expertise

Career

Richard joined the firm in 1985.

Contact details

023 8085 7158

Accreditations

Additional Expertise

Pensions: acting in pensions disputes for companies, professionals, insurers, individuals and trustees for well over 20 years. In relation to occupational pension schemes, Richard acts and advises in particular in matters relating to claims for and compromises of statutory debt, the construction and rectification of scheme documentation and professional negligence claims against pensions advisers and trustees. Richard led the team acting for the representative beneficiary to trial of the rectification case Drake Insurance v HR Trustees and Another.

In 2001 he was appointed to the Professional Indemnity Panel of PASS (Pension Advisers Support System Ltd).

Public sector: acted in judicial review cases concerning, for example, local authority grant funding and financial services as well as in commercial disputes relating to public bodies. Richard also advises and acts for private sector clients and public bodies in public procurement law challenges.

Risk management: special interest in risk management in professional firms, on which he speaks at seminars and conferences.

Solicitors Regulations Authority: In 2006, Richard was appointed as an Intervention Agent for the Solicitors Regulations Authority.

Quotes


Richard Portlock has an impressive portfolio of clients and extensive experience acting for claimants in professional indemnity cases, involving lawyers, property professionals and financial advisers. A market commentator says: "Richard is a very competent and knowledgeable individual and has a great reputation behind him."

Chambers and Partners, 2019
Change your cookie consent
Skip to content